Medical apparatus for the introduction of catheters into the human body

Abstract

A medical apparatus for the introduction of catheters into the human body including: an ECG device having at least three electrodes, positionable on a human body for the detection of surface electrical potential data and adapted to provide at output at least one surface ECG strip; at least one catheter element having a distal ending part positionable inside the human body and having an auxiliary electrode element for the detection of intracavitary electrical potential data, associated with the ECG device for sending to the latter said intracavitary data, the ECG device being adapted to provide at output at least one intracavitary ECG strip; —an electronic device associated with the ECG device for the receipt of at least said intracavitary ECG strip and comprising a data processing module (10) adapted to process at least the intracavitary ECG strip to obtain usage information adapted at least to provide instructions on the insertion of the catheter element in the human body.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A medical apparatus for the introduction of catheters into a human body, comprising:
 an ECG device having at least three electrodes, the at least three electrodes being positionable on the human body for the detection of surface electrical potential data and configured to output at least one surface ECG strip; 
 at least one catheter element having a distal ending part, the distal ending part being positionable inside the human body and having an auxiliary electrode element for the detection of intracavitary electrical potential data associated with the ECG device, the auxiliary electrode element being configured for sending the intracavitary electrical potential data to the ECG device, the ECG device being configured to output at least one intracavitary ECG strip; and 
 an electronic device associated with the ECG device, the electronic device configured for receiving the at least one intracavitary ECG strip and comprising a data processor system configured to process the at least one intracavitary ECG strip to obtain usage information adapted at least to provide instructions on insertion of the at least one catheter element in the human body, 
 wherein the data processor system comprises a first data processor associated with the ECG device for acquiring the at least one intracavitary ECG strip, the first data processor being configured to obtain recognition data providing analytical information on the at least one intracavitary ECG strip, 
 wherein the first data processor comprises a first data processor unit receiving an input of the at least one intracavitary ECG strip, the first data processor unit being configured to obtain first recognition data of maximum and minimum points of a same ECG strip of the at least one intracavitary ECG strip, the maximum and/or minimum points corresponding to waves of the same ECG strip, 
 wherein the first data processor comprises a second data processor unit receiving an input of at least the intracavitary ECG strip and the first recognition data, the second data processor unit being configured to obtain second recognition data of points of an isoelectric line of the same ECG strip, 
 wherein the electronic device comprises at least one output unit associated at least with the data processor system and adapted to output at least the usage information, the output unit being connectable to a screen configured to display the usage information, and 
 wherein
 the usage information is at least in part of the height of a P wave assessed with respect to the isoelectric line, or 
 the first data processor unit is configured to determine a point V corresponding to an absolute maximum of an ECG trace, a point W corresponding to an absolute minimum of the ECG trace, and/or an average of wave heights of the ECG trace, the usage information being at least in part of:
 a height of the point V, 
 a height of the point W, 
 a height measurable between the point V and the point W, and/or 
 an average of wave heights of the ECG trace. 
 
 
 
     
     
       2. The medical apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the first data processor comprises an additional processor unit for processing the first recognition data to obtain first input data identifying a Q, R, S group on an ECG trace and second input data identifying the P wave on the ECG trace. 
     
     
       3. The medical apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein the additional processor unit is configured for processing the first recognition data to obtain the first input data identifying successive Q, R, S groups on successive ECG traces, the first data processor unit being configured to determine the point V corresponding to the absolute maximum of the ECG trace and/or the point W corresponding to the absolute minimum of the ECG trace, between the two successive Q, R, S groups identified by the additional processor unit. 
     
     
       4. The medical apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein the additional processor unit is configured to identify the first input data, corresponding to the group Q, R, S on the ECG strip and, starting from the group Q, R, S, and is configured to back up along the ECG strip until the additional processor unit finds the P wave which is provided as the second input data. 
     
     
       5. The medical apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein the data processor system comprises a second data processor associated at least with the first data processor for acquiring and processing at least the first recognition data, the second data processor being configured to obtain the usage information. 
     
     
       6. The medical apparatus according to  claim 5 , wherein the second processor is associated with the additional processor unit and with the second data processor unit for the acquiring and the processing of the second input data identifying the P wave on the ECG trace and the second recognition data of points of the isoelectric line of the same ECG strip to obtain the usage information. 
     
     
       7. The medical apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the usage information is at least in part of a peak height measured on the at least one ECG strip. 
     
     
       8. A method of introducing at least one catheter into a human body, comprising:
 positioning at least three electrodes of an ECG device of a medical apparatus on the human body for detecting surface electrical potential data and providing an output of at least one surface ECG strip; 
 positioning a distal ending part of at least one catheter element of the medical apparatus inside the human body, the at least one catheter element having an auxiliary electrode element for detecting intracavitary electrical potential data, associated with the ECG device, and sending to the ECG device the intracavitary electrical potential data, the ECG device providing at output at least one intracavitary ECG strip; and 
 receiving with an electronic device associated with the ECG device at least the intracavitary ECG strip and processing with a data processor system of the electronic device at least the intracavitary ECG strip to obtain usage information configured to at least to provide instructions on insertion of the at least one catheter element in the human body, 
 wherein the data processor system comprises a first data processor associated with the ECG device for acquiring at least the intracavitary ECG strip, the first data processor comprising a first data processor unit, 
 the method further comprising receiving an input in the first data processor unit of the at least one intracavitary ECG strip and obtaining with the first data processor unit, first recognition data of maximum and minimum points of a same ECG strip of the at least one intracavitary ECG strip, the maximum and/or minimum points corresponding to waves of the same ECG strip, wherein the first data processor comprise an additional processor unit for processing the first recognition data, 
 the method further comprising obtaining, with the additional processor unit, first input data identifying a Q, R, S group on an ECG trace and second input data identifying a P wave on the ECG trace, 
 the first data processor comprising a second data processor unit receiving at input at least the intracavitary ECG strip and the first recognition data, 
 the method further comprising obtaining, with the second data processor unit, second recognition data of points of an isoelectric line of the same ECG strip, 
 the data processor system comprising a second data processor associated at least with the first data processor for the acquisition and processing of at least the first recognition data, 
 wherein the electronic device comprises at least one output unit associated at least with the data processor system and adapted to output at least the usage information, the output unit being connected to a screen, the screen displaying the usage information, 
 the method further comprising:
 obtaining the usage information by associating the second data processor with the additional unit and with the second processor unit to process the second input data identifying a P wave on the ECG trace and the second recognition data of points of the isoelectric line of the same ECG strip, or 
 determining, with the first data processor unit, a point V corresponding to an absolute maximum of an ECG trace between two successive Q, R, S groups, a point W corresponding to an absolute minimum of the ECG trace between two successive Q, R, S groups and/or an average of wave heights of the ECG trace between two successive Q, R, S groups, the usage information being at least in part:
 a height of the point V, 
 a height of the point W, 
 a height between the point V and the point W, and/or 
 an average of wave heights of the ECG trace. 
 
 
 
     
     
       9. The method according to  claim 8 , wherein the human body is of a patient in a state of fibrillation, a standard pattern of the ECG strip being lost. 
     
     
       10. A method of introducing a catheter in a patient in a state of fibrillation, comprising:
 positioning a distal ending part of at least one catheter element inside the patient in a state of fibrillation, the at least one catheter element having an auxiliary electrode element for the detecting intracavitary electrical potential data, associated with an ECG device; 
 sending to the ECG device the intracavitary electrical potential data, the ECG device providing an output of at least one intracavitary ECG strip; 
 analyzing the at least one intracavitary ECG strip with a data processor system associated with the ECG device to determine a point V corresponding to an absolute maximum of an ECG trace between two successive Q, R, S groups, a point W corresponding to an absolute minimum of the ECG trace between two successive Q, R, S groups and/or an average of wave heights of the ECG trace between two successive Q, R, S groups; 
 calculating with the data processor system a height of the point V, a height of the point W, a height between the point V and the point W and/or an average of the wave heights of the ECG trace; and 
 adjusting a position of the distal ending part of the catheter based on the height of the point V, the height of the point W, the height between the point V and the point W and/or the average of the wave heights of the ECG trace calculated with the data processor system. 
 
     
     
       11. The method according to  claim 10 , further comprising displaying on an output unit a value representative of the height of the point V, the height of the point W, the height between the point V and the point W and/or the average of the wave heights of the ECG trace calculated with the data processor system.